


The Tee Shirt Problem

by jlillymoon



Category: Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Mention of Sherlock - Freeform, Mention of major character death, Retirement, of sorts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-03
Updated: 2016-04-03
Packaged: 2018-05-30 22:18:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6444094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jlillymoon/pseuds/jlillymoon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What would Jim do if Sebastian had a novelty tee shirt of Moriarty?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Tee Shirt Problem

**Author's Note:**

> This came from the idea of Jim's reaction to Sebastian owning a tee shirt that he didn't like!

Sebastian pulled on a tee shirt and headed out the rest of the flat, whistling. Jim turned over and pulled the duvet cover up and over his head, cutting off the cheery mood his boyfriend was in. Jim fell back to sleep quickly and Sebastian had plans. Grocery shopping, dinner, cleaning, laundry. A boring Sunday. Domesticity at it’s best. Jim wanted no part of it and that was fine with Sebastian. He was actually looking forward to boring. 

Jim had wandered back into the flat he and Sebastian had shared for five years after being dead for the last three about a month ago. And after all the fighting, the make up sex, the tearful night of confessions and cold ignoring of each other… things were finally beginning to feel normal again. And Sebastian had every intention of enjoying it.

Sebastian was bent over the stove, his back to the kitchen doorway when Jim finally shuffled out of the bedroom, the bedsheet wrapped around him. His shock of black hair was sticking up every which way and Seb smiled warmly at him over his shoulder. “Morning Kitten.” He said with his normal tender tone. “Well… I say morning….”

“Hrmph.” was Jim’s answer but he moved forward to give Sebastian a kiss. Seb turned around and placed the pan on the stovetop before opening his arms for Jim. He loved Jim like this. Still sleep warm and cuddly. But in a flash, the comfortable exterior that Jim was wearing evaporated and in it’s place was Moriarty’s narrowed black eyes and look of utter contempt.

“What. Is. That.” Jim asked, his voice cold and clear as a bell.

“What is what, Magpie?” Seb asked still trying to lean in for a kiss.

“Don’t you dare Magpie me.” Jim said stepping out of Seb’s reach. His body was tense and even just wearing their bedsheet, he looked lethal. “Explain what the hell you are wearing. And if… that’s a big if… you can explain it to me without angering me further… I might let you get away with only losing one or two toes.”

Sebastian knit his blonde brows in confusion before looking down at what he was wearing. Bare feet, not being able to stand socks for any length of time. Worn jeans, his favorite ones and ones that used to be tight in just the right places. Jim had mentioned it once or twice… an  hour when he had worn them before. But since Jim died, Seb’s already lean and fit body had turned to down right stick thin. White tee shirt with… oh. That was it. He smiled broadly and looked up at Jim. “The tee shirt?” He asked with a laugh and went back to making their dinner.

“Yesssss…. Sebastian. Such a smart boy you are.” Jim hissed. This wasn’t the man that Seb usually dealt with in the flat, but every now and again, he would pop up for a visit. Seb paid him no mind, a dangerous game, but Sebastian knew in the end, he held all the aces. He threw Jim a look, a very dangerous look, that spoke volumes. Jim was pushing the edge here and Sebastian was not going to have any of it in their home. Moriarty was to be left at the door as was Moran. This was Jim and Seb. This was their home and this was where they loved each other and not where they worked. That wasn’t who they were here and Jim was making it hard for Sebastian right now. 

“Jim….” Seb warned and Jim backed down, his body going limp and he leaned against the counter. 

“Seriously… what the hell is that?”

Sebastian shrugged and began to plate up their food. “While you were gone… I… I walked a lot.” Seb started, trying to keep his voice even and calm. It was hard. Memories of his time with out Jim were still raw and open.  “I was down by the Old Bailey the day that they….” His voice turned cold and nasty… “vindicated Holmes.” He took a moment to carry their plates in the other room and placed them on the table, taking time to collect his thoughts. He returned to the kitchen to see that Jim hadn’t moved. He worked around him to get the bottle of wine and two glasses he had set out earlier before speaking again. “They were selling these in some stall.”

“And you just had to have one.” Jim spit out, his voice low and hurt.

“I was drunk.” Seb said as he walked into the other room. Jim followed him after a moment. “Mind you I was pretty much drunk all the time then.”

“So, you wanted one? You thought in your drunken stupor that having that shirt was… a wise decision?”

“No. I thought it was hysterical. I saw it and began to laugh. Peels of laughter. I scared the girl who was selling them.” Seb said sadly, remembering how terrible he felt that day. “I bought it because… I thought it was funny.”

Seb sat down at the table and toyed with his wine glass for a moment before he picked it up and sipped. Jim sat down in his spot and looked at Sebastian. He could read the sniper like a book, but at the moment, he was at a loss for what was going on in Seb’s head.

“Tiger?” He asked, his voice soft and tender. “You alright?”

“No. To be honest…. No.” Seb said. “I got home  with the shirt and I placed it on the bed. Then promptly forgot about it as I went back into the study to fix myself a drink. One drink that I drank continuously until I passed out. On the sofa.” 

Sebastian’s face glazed over at the memory and he smiled a sad smile. “When I got up the next morning… well afternoon really, I moved from the sofa to our bed. And I found the shirt. I held it and cried. Because you were real. You were the realest person I knew… because in the end, I missed you more than I knew and I loved you….” Seb’s eyes were wet with tears. “And I didn’t get to say good bye.”

Jim felt like he had been stabbed. All the air that was in his body left in one big rush and he slumped into his chair, drawing his knees up to his chin. “Why keep it then?” He asked, his voice quiet.

“Because…. It’s a reminder that… that even though things are… okay and getting better now, they weren’t once. That once upon a time I questioned if you were real or if I dreamt you.”

“I’m a nightmare.” Jim said. The guilt that had been eating at him for some time came back and was consuming him whole.

“And I didn’t realize what shirt I grabbed to be honest.” He drained his glass and set it down on the table. He reached out his hand and pulled Jim towards him and into his lap. “I’m sorry, Kitten. I won’t wear it again.”

Jim wrapped his arms around Sebastian’s neck. “Maybe…. Maybe I could wear it?” He asked.

“Oh… now that’s a lovely idea. It would freak people out.” Seb said with a wicked grin. He leaned down and captured Jim’s lips with his own. “Now… let’s eat so you can take it off of me and you can remind me that you are real.”

Jim smiled as he wiped the last of the tears off of his own and Seb’s face before kissing him and moving back to his own chair. “Sounds perfect Tiger.”

 

~~~000~~~

Sebastian moved the last box out of the back of the truck and into the bedroom of the seaside cottage that he and Jim had retired to. He set the brown cube down on the bed and opened it, pulling out a stack of shirts and walking them to the closet. He settled them on the shelf and halved the stack before stilling his hands on the pile of cotton. Staring back at him was Jim’s face and he picked up the white shirt. He walked to the kitchen and flung the shirt at Jim who was working on putting the dish wear away.

“What the fuck?” Jim asked, pulling the shirt off of his face from where it landed. He took a look at it and his face fell. “Oh, Tiger.”

“Yeah.” Seb said, leaning against the counter and making ghost movements with his fingers for a cigarette that hadn’t been there in years. 

Jim came around the counter and pulled his husband into his arms. “That was a long time ago.”

“Yes.”

“And the pain still haunts us both.”

“Yes.”

“And I love you and I am here… I will never leave again.”

Sebastian couldn’t answer, grabbing the shirt from Jim’s hands and he kissed his husband for all that he was worth as the air was filled with the sounds of him tearing it apart with his hands.

Jim smiled at him and rested his head against Sebastian’s shoulder. 

“Love you Tiger.”

“Love you more.” Seb said before tossing the shirt into the waste bin. He no longer needed it. He had the real thing in his arms and in his heart forever.


End file.
